Tip: Run (and Automate) Windows Defender from the Command Line

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Windows Defender includes a command-line utility, MpCmdRun.exe, which can be handy if you want to automate the use of Windows Defender. The utility is located on Windows 7 at %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe.

The basic usage at the command prompt is:
MpCmdRun.exe [command] [-options]

mpcmdrun.jpg

Here’s an overview of available commands:

Command Description
-? Displays all available options for the tool
-Trace [-Grouping #] [-Level #] Starts diagnostic tracing
-RemoveDefinitions [-All] Restores the installed signature definitions to a previous backup copy or to the original default set of signatures
-RestoreDefaults Resets the registry values for Windows Defender settings to known good defaults
-SignatureUpdate Checks for new definition updates
-Scan [-ScanType] Scans for malicious software
-GetFiles Collects support information

Tip by Matthew Graven, TechNet Tips Editor.

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